Seal-lock



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. M. SMITH.

V SEAL LOOK, No. 339,490. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

llNrED Srn'rns ATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN M. SMITH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1010339390, dated April 6, 1886.

Application filed January 26, 1886. Serial No. 189,797. (Modch) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. SMITH, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part hereof.

My present invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and operation of the lock shown and described in my former patent, No. 337 ,87 9, of March 16, 1886; and it may be said to consist, substantially, in the arrangement and combination of devices hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide means for rendering the look more secure and less liable to become disarranged in use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the lock applied to a car-door before sealing. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the seal. Fig. 3 shows my complete device as applied to a car and sealed. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the rear portion of the lock, taken on line 9 c, Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the lock, taken on line a a, Fig. 3; and Fig. 6, a view of the lockingpin detached.

A is the main bolt, serving as a staple, and as it is fully described in my patent above noted I do not deem a full description of its construction and operation necessary to be given here.

B is the hasp, eyebolt F.

The seal G is made preferably of bright tin; but it may be stamped from any suitable material-such as plain sheet-iron or it may be formed of sheet metal and covered with a coating of varnish or paint, as may be desired.

The seal is made in the form of a rectangular sheet of suitable size, and at each upper corner it is provided with a perforation, L, for the reception of a lead rivet, T. Just below said perforations an elongated portion of metal is removed from the body of the seal, so as to form a slot, a, and to form the seal ing-strip P. A hole, A, is also made about at the center of the seal for the reception of the point of the main bolt A. If desired, a series of seals can be made with consecutive numbers-such as from one up to nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred secured to the door N by the and ninety-ninestamped or otherwise formed upon them. Letters of the alphabet to correspond with the numbers in any desired way can also be placed on the seals as additional factors of safety in preventing duplication, as shown by Fig. 3.

In the operation of the invention the main bolt A has a depression, D formed in its up per side, about midway of its length, for the reception of the ball G, as fully described in my application above noted.

The casing f has an extension or lug, 12, projecting upwardly from its rear side, and said casing is preferably cast integral with the front plate, D. Within this casing, and adapted to rest on the ball G and hold it in place, a softrubber cylinder, R, is located. After this cylinder has been placed in the casing it is secured in its position by bending down upon it the lug b, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. Upon one side of the front plate, D, a little above the plane of the main bolt A, is a raised eye, 0, for the reception of the sealing-strip P of the seal. This eye is cast integral with the body of said plate, and it is obvious that it should be formed as heavy as possible, so that it maynot be easily broken off.

The operation of my device is as follows: The main bolt A being pulled out as far as possible, the hasp B is placed over it, the opening H engaging the head of the bolt in the usual way. Then the seal 0 is placed on the hasp so that the hole A will come under the point of the bolt, and the sealing-strip P of the seal at the same time is passed through the openingE of the eye 0, and its free end is bent over on the body of the seal, so that the perforations L will register with each other. The bolt Ais pushed inward until it is engaged by the ball G. The lead rivet T is passed through said perforations and set or headed with a suitable instrument, and the car will be sealed, as shown in Fig. 3.

The rivet T may of course be made of any desired material, and, preferably, it should be stamped or set with an instrument that will press the initials of the shipping station on both sides of it. v

This lock may be sealed in the ordinary way by simply passing a strip of tin through the opening g in the lower end of the lockingpin I. In case of an accident to the carsuch as being overturned in derailment-the rubber spring R will always hold the ball in place and keep the ear locked. A metallic spring can be used to press the ball in place, if found desirable.

Among the advantages possessed by this improvement may be mentioned simplicity, cheapness, and increased durability, ease and rapidity of operation, adaptability to all ordinary forms of car-doors, certainty of operation, and security to a high degree. Not only can it be used as a means of detecting thefts, but it is also exceedingly useful upon a cardoor for keeping it closed.

The letter M represents that part of the car to which the lock should be attached.

I do not in this case claim, broadly, a seallock provided with a movable bolt and perforated seal, in combination with a spring-actuated locking bolt engaging therewith, said movable bolt formed in such a manner as to enter the perforation of the seal when pushed inwardly, whereby the car is locked, for such is the subject-matter covered by one of my former United States Patents, February 2, 1886, No. 335,250.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is 1. In a seal-lock, the combination of a hasp having an opening for the reception of the main bolt, a main bolt, a ball engaging therewith, a yielding substance located in the easing of the lock for holding said ball in engagement with the bolt, and a seal having a perforation that is engaged by the point of the main bolt, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a sheet metal seal having a central perforation for the reception of the main bolt, and having a perforated sealing-strip, 1?, formed integral with the upper portion of its main body, substantially as described.

3. In a seal-lock, the combination of a main bolt, a ball engaging therewith, a metal plate having an eye formed upon it, a seal having a sealing-strip formed integral with its body, and passing through said eye, and perforated for the reception of a soft-metal rivet, and a hasp, arranged substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a seal-lock, of a casing provided with a movable locking-bolt, a chamber located above said bolt and provided with an elastic locking device, and a lug or projection formed upon the upper edge of the wall of said chamber, and adapted to be bent down upon the elastic part of said locking device to retain the same in its proper position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. SMITH.

Witnesses:

J. L. FULKERSON, J. W. RIsLEY. 

